Shu: The Rebirth of the Han
by DragonSummoning
Summary: When virtue guides the path of strong and honorable men, the wicked and the ambitious struggle against it... in vain... Rated M for safety.
1. 01: Oath in the Garden

**A/N: I've been quite interested and have made my research about the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms of China, not only due to the novel by Luo Guanzhong, but also due to the video game series of Dynasty Warriors, which I love. Now, this story I've started (and I sure hope to finish it) will be some sort of a 'what if' story favorable for Shu. Some things won't be presented as they actually happened, so I hope you enjoy it; please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and its characters belong to Luo Guanzhong. Only the story is mine.**

**01: Oath in the Garden.**

That day had begun with a lot of tension in the air. Every day, news of revolts, complaints, assaults, raids, sieges, battles, executions, massacres, reached the whole country, and everything seemed to be going downhill.

It was the year 390 of the Han Empire, and the former glory of the Dynasty seemed to be fading away rather quickly. The happy and prosperous times in which the Han Dynasty took China onto a long age of peace seemed to surrender to the ambitions of the power-players and the landlords.

In the region of Zhuo, a young man kept reading all these letters which came out from Luoyang, the Imperial capital city. He used his long, black hair tied up in a bun, hair strands falling beside his ears. This young man was known for being a just and virtuous man in a time when the ambition made its way into the hearts of men. Also, he was a skilled swordsman, a wise counselor and a great administrator, as he was the advisor to the governor of Zhuo. He was also a close relative to the Emperor Ling, called Liu Hong, whose power seemed to be slipping out of his hands between the eunuchs, the landlords and the ambitious advisors and generals, and he wished to rise for the Emperor Ling, in order to stop all the crimes committed towards the Han Empire, and bring justice and virtue back to the land. This man was known as Liu Bei Xüande, and he was sad to see the empire crumbling into a new chaos.

As the spring arrived, the cherry blossoms filled themselves with flowers. The slight pink tint in the tops of all those trees in his garden, so as the fresh scent in the air and the lively appearance that those trees acquired after being desolated during the long winter, inspired Liu Bei. _'The Han Dynasty is coming through a long winter, represented as the beginning of this era of chaos____…_ I must end this chaos and let the Han Dynasty reborn like these cherry blossoms, in a new age of peace and virtue…'

Somewhere around the village where Liu Bei lived in Zhuo, a tall, young man walked quietly, his small eyes piercing through the people and the things he saw. His long, black beard fell down his chest, and his long, black hair fell down his back, his head being covered by a green turban. His eyebrows were thick and his skin was slightly colored in red, making this man acquire a rather scary appearance that contrasted greatly with his relaxed face.

Another thing that made of him a scary character was his body. He was really tall; perhaps more than 1m 90cm. His body was quite muscular. Everything in him revealed that he was someone not to mess with; and to reassure that argument, he carried a guandao with him, strapped to his back.

This man had wandered around the land during these years, since he left his home while being young, because he wasn't content with all the corruption that was filling the land at all levels. Searching through the land, he met several men of power, but no one had the slightest care for things such as honor, virtue and justice.

After searching for long, he had heard about this one man who was said to be a virtuous man. He had to meet him, trade words with him, and if he was a true man of virtue, then he'd join him.

Finally, he had reached the place where this man lived. As he arrived, he saw a woman who tended wet clothes to dry them under the sun. He asked, bowing respectfully:

"Good morning, my lady. I am searching for a man called Liu Bei Xüande."

The woman stopped tending the clothes and got close to him:

"And, who is looking for him?"

The man said:

"My name is Guan Yü Yünchang, and I wish to speak with him."

The woman looked at him with suspicion and then turned to the house, yelling:

"Xüande! There's some big guy here looking for you!"

Liu Bei was particularly surprised. He wasn't actually expecting anyone to visit him. Actually, no one visited him but a few people from the town. He walked out of the garden and met the tall man:

"I am Liu Bei Xüande. Who is looking for me?"

The man bowed:

"My name is Guan Yü Yünchang, and I wish to trade words with you."

The older woman looked at Guan Yü with suspicion and fear, but Liu Bei seemed to recognize something in him, so he said:

"Mother, please, help me prepare some tea for Lord Guan Yü and some sweets."

Seeing the security in Liu Bei's face, his mother simply said:

"I'll take care of it. Invite him in, as he's our guest."

Liu Bei nodded and showed Guan Yü the entrance to his home. Once both men got inside, they sat down in a small table and started talking. Liu Bei had asked first:

"And, Lord Guan Yü, where did you hear about me? I'm not exactly a public figure."

Guan Yü always spoke humbly:

"I was born in Xie, in the region of Hedong, and I've been studying and training myself in the martial arts since I was young. My town has been raided by lots of bandits, and, after meeting up with people with enough power to bring order, I realized that those who own lands and have power are as worthless as those bandits. I was told by a member of the Imperial Court that here, in Zhuo, lived a man who still cherished honor, virtue and justice, and I wished to check if it was true."

Liu Bei was quite surprised with the man's sincerity, so he just said:

"Lord Guan Yü, I actually understand that you've made quite a journey before coming up here. I bet you must be worn out by now." As Guan Yü nodded humbly, Liu Bei continued: "Would you like to stay and rest here? Maybe we'll need a couple of days or more to finish this interview, as I also would like to know about you."

Guan Yü was actually worn out, so he bowed in appreciation:

"I gladly accept your hospitality with humbleness, Lord Liu Bei."

As his mother came up with the tea and sweets, Liu Bei started talking. After a while, Guan Yü asked:

"Lord Liu Bei, the first thing I wished to ask you, as a relative to the Han Emperor Ling, was your opinion about the Court's actual situation."

Liu Bei took a deep breath and started talking, as this was the very first person who would be interested in knowing his opinion in the matter:

"The Court of the Han has brought quite some happiness to the land, while it was guided by honor, justice, virtue and truth, just like Confucius, Mencius and the own Lao Tse spoke. These values, nowadays, are being subverted to the will of the ambitious, and the Court has ended up kidnapped by men and women who don-t even possess a notion of them, who only wish to be where the power is to get their portion, or to try and snatch the others' ones to seize control; and all of this is being done without even caring about what happens to the land and its people. This all just allows the chaos to take control of the land."

Guan Yü was rather surprised by the words of Liu Bei, as he noticed that he was quite observant and reflexive, not losing his temper, but speaking with no doubts. He replied then:

"As I told you, I was in Luoyang and I saw how things were being handled in the Court, and what I saw definitely agrees with your description. Also, I can tell you that the Emperor Ling has his hands actually tied, and I almost couldn't stand to endure all what the landlords, the eunuchs and the Han generals are doing to both the Emperor and the people. Before I ended up trying to make justice on my own, I decided to leave Luoyang."

Liu Bei nodded:

"These are times that will summon the war over the land and the people, Lord Guan Yü, and you could already feel their influence on your soul. I myself had felt it as well, but I have no army or resources. On the other side, I truly fear that, if I had them, my vision would be as clouded as the ones of all those landlords and generals."

Guan Yü looked at him and said:

"You don't seem to be one to be easily tempted by the earthly ambitions and treasures, Lord Liu Bei, and after speaking with you, I would like to let you know that you can count on me if you ever need anything."

Liu Bei bowed in appreciation:

"Thanks, Lord Guan Yü. Actually, I might need your assistance here, as my master, the governor of Zhuo, is in need of a military advisor."

Guan Yü nodded, and then both men took a sip of the hot cups of jasmine tea. Then, Liu Bei's mother yelled again:

"Xüande! You've got another visitor!"

Both Liu Bei and Guan Yü stood up and went outside, meeting a third man who had just arrived. His eyes revealed him as a just and honorable man, but also revealed him as an emotionally-driven man. His brown hair and beard were long and disordered, and he had a couple of scars in his left cheek and his right eye. He was tall, very strong, and carried a spear that had its blade shaped like a flaming sword. Guan Yü was actually holding his guandao when Liu Bei asked:

"I am Liu Bei Xüande. Who is looking for me?"

The man bowed:

"My name is Zhang Fei Yide, and I wish to speak to you, Lord Liu Bei."

Liu Bei and Guan Yü nodded at each other and let Zhang Fei into the house. The three men were introduced to each other and resumed their talk. As they spoke now about the revolts that had been isolating the land, Zhang Fei spoke:

"Lord Liu Bei, Lord Guan Yü, rumors are spreading among the Han Court and the whole land about a group of men who are gathering bandits, thugs and everyone who isn't happy with the Empire in order to overthrow it and give the Han the 'judgment of the Heavens', or so it's said."

Both Liu Bei and Guan Yü were horrified with the news:

"Lord Zhang Fei, have you heard any other thing about that group?"

Zhang Fei nodded, upset:

"I actually fought some of them in my way here, as they're already attacking Zhuo. Their movement is called 'the Yellow Turban rebellion', and their leader is a Taoist monk called Zhang Jiao, whose Taoist sect is called 'the Way of Peace'. Ha! They're only ravaging this land and pillaging the people to make their war against the Empire! They claim to wish to help the people, but they end up hurting and killing them!"

Liu Bei nodded and said:

"It's obvious that you've also come from a far land just to meet up with me, Lord Zhang Fei, so I'd like to offer you to stay here as well. We shall need as much help as we can if we're about to be attacked by those bandits."

Zhang Fei bowed:

"I shall appreciate your kindness, Lord Liu Bei. Is Lord Guan Yü going to stay as well?"

Guan Yü nodded:

"I will." As Zhang Fei nodded, Guan Yü commented: "As we all seem to believe in the same goal, and as we all seem to realize not only what's wrong about these times, but also we seem to agree about the only way left to solve this, then I suggest that we should stay together and wait for an opportunity to solve all of this once and for all."

Zhang Fei agreed, taking a sweet with his fingers:

"This Empire is crumbling due to the greed and the lust for power that has corrupted the Han Court, and only a virtuous man like you, Lord Liu Bei, can unite the land, end the chaos and restore the Han!"

Liu Bei nodded as well:

"As long as our words are guided by the truth, our minds guided by honor, our souls guided by virtue, and our goals guided towards justice, we can restore the Han to its former glory and bring a long-lasting peace to the land!"

Liu Bei stood up and walked to the garden, and both Guan Yü and Zhang Fei followed him. When they saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom, they smiled, and then Liu Bei drew his sword from its scabbard, aiming to the skies with it. Guan Yü crossed his guandao with his sword, and Zhang Fei did so with his spear. Liu Bei decreed then:

"May these cherry blossoms represent the rebirth of the Han as our goal, may our souls be together from now on as Brothers, and may we only find rest when we restore order and restore the glory of the Han!"

Guan Yü and Zhang Fei nodded, and the former claimed:

"May we live together, fight together and die together!"

End of Episode 01.


	2. 02: First Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or its characters. They're too glorious for me.**

**02: First Battle.**

The day passed along, and the three sworn brothers kept talking and joking, in order to meet each other, and even Liu Bei's mother joined them, as now Guan Yü and Zhang Fei called her 'mother'. There they knew about Liu Bei's habit of weaving sandals, which he said helped him to cool down in moments of despair. Guan Yü confessed that, when he felt like that, he wrote and read poems, as they allowed him to know how his soul felt in each moment and why, in order to balance himself. When it was Zhang Fei's turn, he felt ashamed, but his sworn brothers encouraged him to talk. He said then:

"Well, in moments of despair, I usually practice my calligraphy, but lately I've been tending to drink a lot of wine, and I'm afraid that it might have become a habit of mine, brothers."

Guan Yü understood Zhang Fei's concerns and said:

"Well, brother, I guess that we could help you balance this situation, if and only if you put all of your will and all of your might in it."

Liu Bei nodded:

"Let's try this, brother: you will only take wine when we celebrate, but when despair and sadness fills our hearts, you will develop your writing skills, and maybe acquire another sane habit. Drinking when desperate might lead to a path of chaos."

Zhang Fei's eyes welled up tears, as this was the very first time he received any kind of counsel about his drinking situation, instead of being called a 'drunken bastard'. He then hugged his brothers and said:

"Thanks, brothers! I shall follow your advice from now on!"

Liu Bei and Guan Yü nodded, when their 'mother' ran to them, concerned, as the night fell:

"Xüande! Yide! Yünchang! Terrible news!"

The three sworn brothers ran to follow her and they all met a young girl, perhaps on her adolescence, whose beauty started showing up as she grew. Her hair was long and brown, her gray eyes were like magnets to the men, and her body curves started shaping her slim body. She was crying, and she said:

"Lord Liu Bei! The 'Yellow Turbans' are burning up the village! The governor skipped town and took everything away! People are dying in the hands of the bandits!"

Guan Yü and Zhang Fei growled and Liu Bei said:

"Gan Liangji, thank you for coming! Please, stay here with mother and take care of her! I shall deal with that!"

Gan Liangji hugged him, crying still:

"D-Don't get killed, my lord! Please!"

Guan Yü and Zhang Fei nodded, and the three sworn brothers prepared themselves for the upcoming battle. They quickly wore their armors, readied their weapons and left, not without the blessings of their 'mother'. As they left, Gan Liangji asked, concerned:

"Lady Zhao, will they be fine?"

Lady Zhao, Liu Bei's mother, nodded:

"Those three will do great things together. Virtue guides them."

Gan Liangji tried to reassure herself that they would be fine. Liu Bei was practically the only one she had left, due to the Yellow Turbans' raid.

* * *

As they got close to the village, the flames, the screams and the foul stench of death could be sensed. Liu Bei commanded:

"Well, let's spread ourselves. We'll meet up in the central plaza. Good luck, brothers."

Guan Yü and Zhang Fei nodded, and the trio spread. Liu Bei would enter the village's west wing, while Guan Yü would attack the north and Zhang Fei would take over the south.

* * *

Liu Bei's first sight was one of true horror, one that would trigger his will to fight to the death. He saw how a young girl, perhaps the age of Gan Liangji or younger, was being raped by a gang of five men with yellow turbans over their heads. He drew his sword and yelled:

"Bastards! Deal with someone who can put up a fight!"

The five bandits turned to him and laughed soundly. One whistled, while the one who looked like the officer in charge spoke in a mocking tone:

"The Han doesn't deserve such a privilege!" Liu Bei was then surrounded by more or less twenty men, and the officer yelled: "Get me his head in a gold plate!"

Liu Bei took a deep breath, focusing as the twenty men charged against him, some with spears, some with pikes, and some with swords.

* * *

Zhang Fei found a group that was pushing the innocent families to the streets as they pillaged the houses, so he grabbed his flaming spear and roared:

"COME AND FACE ME IF YOU DARE!"

The roar was strong enough to startle the burglars, who abandoned the houses and met the scary Zhang Fei. The officer in charge grabbed his pike and charged against him, but Zhang Fei only needed to dodge his stab attack before he sliced his chest with the zigzagging blade of his spear. As their commander fell so easily, fear spread among the bandits, and Zhang Fei roared again:

"WHO'S NEXT?!"

The whole group exchanged looks, and then they all seemed to look something behind Zhang Fei. As he realized that something was happening behind him, he simply spun over his feet, waving the spear in a swift horizontal circling move, and he took two burglars who tried to sneak up on him. He roared again:

"I GOT EYES BEHIND MY BACK AS WELL, SO YOU'D BETTER FACE ME!"

Zhang Fei was then attacked by the whole group, who fought more out of fear than out of might. This fight should be easy, and Zhang Fei knew it.

* * *

Guan Yü had been attacked before reaching his planned entryway, as he met, casually, the main camp of the Yellow Turbans' task force in the way north. One by one, the Yellow Turbans' conscripts attacked Guan Yü, and also one by one, they all died by his guandao. The officer in charge, a young teenager with brown eyes, dark skin and black hair hidden by the yellow turban, grabbed a war hammer and said:

"You! How dare you invade our camp as such?! Who are you?!"

Guan Yü aimed his guandao towards the officer:

"My name is Guan Yü Yünchang, and I'll defend this village from burglars and thieves like you! Who are you, and who gave you the right to pillage Zhuo?"

The kid ran towards Guan Yü, charging with his hammer and swinging at Guan Yü:

"My name is Zhou Cang, officer to the great Lord of Heaven, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao! And, if you oppose his teachings, then you must die!"

Guan Yü evaded the youngster and saw his hammer. It wasn't exactly a prodigy of a weapon, but it could still do some good damage. He then saw a descending blow from the kid and he single-handedly grabbed his weapon and disarmed Zhou Cang. The kid, scared, heard his words:

"Whatever this Zhang Jiao character might be doing is wrong, because he's taking the wrong target as an enemy."

Zhou Cang was dumbstruck with the words of Guan Yü, while the fear made him freeze:

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Guan Yü noticed that he could capture the kid's attention, so he continued:

"The Han Emperor Ling is as much a victim as the common people are, and you, instead of attacking the true enemy, are making things easier for him by attacking the real victims: the Han Emperor and the people!"

Zhou Cang was suddenly drawn from fear to reflection:

"But, who is the real enemy? If you assure that the Emperor is not the enemy, then who is it?!"

Guan Yü noticed how some other bandits returned from the village, many stolen goods in their hands, and said:

"There are many enemies, and you can recognize them when you see the ambition and the lust for power in their eyes. Those are the ones you must fight against."

Zhou Cang stood up, bowed slightly, in order to not be victim of suspicions, and said, almost whispering:

"I shall ponder those words deep in my heart, my lord, as I see you let me live so far. For now, I shall retreat."

* * *

Liu Bei had already taken out half of the assailants, showing great prowess with the long sword. Finally, he could attract the attention of the five rapists, who actually desisted in harming the young girl and stood to fight him. As the officer in charge actually saw his dead fellows and his enemy without a single scratch, he enraged and grabbed his twin swords:

"You killed my friends! Now die!"

The officer charged and attacked Liu Bei, followed by his four partners, but Liu Bei was fast enough to dodge each attack and slay each enemy with precise slashes to their torsos. Liu Bei spoke:

"You're killing my people, so you must die." As he turned to the rest of the bandits, he said: "And whoever keeps committing crimes against the Han and against the innocent people will suffer the same fate!"

The ten thieves, enraged and insulted, charged against Liu Bei, and Liu Bei waited for their attack, but, from the ten, only two got to reach him, as Guan Yü and Zhang Fei reached the other eight and quickly dispatched them. Liu Bei was glad to see that his brothers were okay, and he took the last two bandits out. As the battle was quickly finished, he asked:

"My brothers! Are you all right?"

Zhang Fei's armor and blade were stained with blood:

"They thought themselves as fierce warriors but were no more than ego-filled bandits! They died quickly, and I could save those people they were attacking!"

Guan Yü nodded:

"Their officer was just a child, so I tried to convince him to stop this nonsense, and I truly hope those words I said to him had reached his heart, as he seemed to be a good kid."

Liu Bei was glad to hear those words from Guan Yü and Zhang Fei also seemed to understand. Liu Bei said:

"Sometimes it's wiser and best to change a life than to take it away, brother, and I'm glad to know you understand it."

Zhang Fei nodded as well:

"I understand that, brothers, but it's also wiser and best to know when you must leave words aside and fight fr what you believe in, without hesitation, and fight to the death if necessary."

Liu Bei and Guan Yü nodded at Zhang Fei's words, recognizing the wisdom beneath them. Guan Yü said:

"And we will; we will fight to the death, not letting ourselves be ridden by the thrill, the ambition or the deception, and we will let virtue guide our path to the restoration of the Han!"

Liu Bei nodded and noticed how the surviving villagers gathered around them, and many were really thankful to see their state's chief advisor fighting for them while their governor fled at the first sign of danger. Liu Bei looked at his sworn brothers, and he noticed that they were as glad as him to have given their first step into ending the chaos, and asked:

"Are you all right?"

A man answered:

"Thanks to you, yes, lord Liu Bei! But, they burned our homes, and stole our goods, and raped our daughters and wives!"

A woman claimed:

"If it was for Governor Jiang Shao, we would've died like dogs here, but you put up a fight against them, and saved our lives!"

Zhang Fei could understand their anger and pain, so he replied:

"We're really sorry for being so late! Even so, you shouldn't depend on someone else to defend you and your families!"

Guan Yü replied:

"No one should expect others to solve their problems!"

Liu Bei, noticing that the villagers actually felt lectured, spoke with serenity:

"Enough, brothers! We've saved their lives, and your words they will treasure! It's time for us to leave!"

* * *

The three sworn brothers started leaving the town and slowly returned to Liu Bei's home. There were lady Zhuo and Gan Liangji, struggling against a thug who wielded a spear. As he pushed Gan Liangji aside and grabbed Lady Zhuo, leaving the spear aside as well, Gan Liangji could take the spear and slash the thug's back with it, killing him instantly. Liu Bei and his brothers ran to them, taking care of the corpse, and as Guan Yü and Zhang Fei helped Lady Zhao and soothed her, Gan Liangji let the spear fall and jumped to Liu Bei's arms, crying her soul out and letting the adrenaline flow with the tears.

End of Episode 02.


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